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The Stat Line of the Night – 1/25/10 – Chris Paul

Chris Paul is the best point guard in the league without a doubt. Although he appears to be wasting away in New Orleans surrounded by a less-than-stellar cast, he has clearly moved into, and above, the upper echelon of NBA point guards that includes Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, and recently Deron Williams. Last night he proved it again. He may be the best passer in the game, but it was game-winning jumper that iced the win against Portland.

After starting the season a bit slow, the Hornets are now 24-20 and sit only a half game out of the 8th seed in the West. Chris Paul missed a few weeks early on, but since then has been entirely responsible for the resurgence of the Hornets. He has averaged 20 points, 11.2 assists, 2.25 steals and 4.6 rebounds and he has done it all with an astounding 50% shooting from the field. Last night, he did it again. He dropped 24 points, 12 assists, 7 rebounds, and 5 steals on the hapless Trailblazers. Even though Paul was on the road, it didn’t faze him at all as he hit a 15 footer with just 3.8 seconds on the clock to win the game 98-97.

Chris Paul’s performance last night was pretty normal by his standards. On a night where it helped his team beat another Western Conference playoff rival, it earned him “The Stat Line of the Night”.